Minister of State with responsibility for the OPW, Kevin ‘Boxer’ Moran said: “Newgrange nestled in the Boyne Valley is an important historical site in Ireland's Ancient Heritage which attracted over 207,000 visitors in 2016."

He added: "Our annual Winter Solstice Lottery received over 33,000 applications to witness this event with winners from as far as Austria, Italy, Switzerland and the United States of America, showing the continuing fascination the Solstice has the world over."